LSU basketball flexes international muscle in season-opener vs LSU New Orleans

One of the biggest battles in constructing LSU basketball’s roster ahead of the 2026-27 season was getting eligibility for its international players.After court rulings and injunctions, the Tigers were able to see all four their international commits granted eligibility ahead their season-opener against LSU-New Orleans on Nov. 3. Coach Will Wade and his staff took advantage of their international weapons immediately as they showed just how much of an asset they can be in the Tigers’ 100-57 win over the Privateers.Among the four international players, three saw action against LSU New Orleans with French center Brice Dessert and Senegalese-Italian forward Saliou Niang starting. Coming off the bench was Croatian center Michael Ruzic rounding out a three-headed big man monster at the disposal of Wade and his staff."I thought Saliou was tremendous," Wade said. "Just on the point of the press, six steals, 14 rebounds, five offensive rebounds. He just does so many things that help you win. He's an incredible passer. I mean he makes the whole press work, you can't get the ball in bounds against him."LSU basketball’s international weaponsThe Tigers’ four international players are all bringing size to the floor with all of them standing at 7-foot or taller. They used every bit of their size as they rose up for dunk after dunk and flashy alley-oop finishes. Leading the pick and roll finishing was Ruzic, who came off the bench and played 25 minutes.He racked up 17 points and six rebounds, making a living in the paint for LSU. Ruzic was a go-to target for the Tigers' leading scorer and assists leader, guard Donovan Dent, who finished with 10 assists. "Donnie [Donovan Dent], he's very, very, very unselfish and I love playing with him," Ruzic said. "Everytime he sees me open, he's always throwing me the ball, so I'm definitely happy to share the floor with him every second."Showcasing two-way abilities was Niang. The former 2025 NBA second round pick was relentless on defense, catching the Privateers slipping every chance he got."I feel very good and I'm happy about the way we started," Niang said. "We wanted a good, strong start and that's what we did. I know that I can help my team a lot on defense and that's what I did. I tried to put pressure on the ball, run for rebounds and yeah that's it."Niang led the Tigers’ defense with a team-high six steals, making all six of his steals in the first half. His defense led directly to offense on a number of his steals, helping him finish with 14 points along with a team-high 14 rebounds.Also making the most out of his first collegiate start was Dessert, who scored the Tigers first points of the game on a two-handed slam dunk. In his 19 minutes on the court, he finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks."Brice is going to be really good for us, its just going to take Brice a little bit of time," Wade said. "The pace is different than it is in Europe so its going to take him a little bit of time. He was better today than he was against Florida State, and he'll be better Friday than he was today."As each of the big men continues to get comfortable with the college basketball style, there’s no telling how much of a weapon they can be for the Tigers in games to come. LSU will also soon get to see more of its fourth international player after Israeli center Gilad Levy was granted eligibility just a few hours before its season opener. Levy played for a five minutes against the Privateers scoring eight points.Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU basketball flexes international muscle in season-opener vs LSU New Orleans